The magnitude 5.4 temblor that struck 9 miles southeast of Rio Dell, CA on Sunday morning is the latest in a long line of earthquakes that hit Humboldt County in the last few years. While there have been some minor incidents, no fatalities have been reported. However, heavy rains caused flooding that led to the evacuation of residents in some parts of the region.
Thousands of homes were without power for hours after the temblor, while others experienced a boil water order. Several homes in the area were yellow tagged due to damage. Some of the damage was serious enough to prompt Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in Humboldt County.
The 6.4 temblor, while not as big as the one that hit Fortuna, California in December, was still a jolt to the system. It’s still too early to say for certain if the quake was the worst of the lot.
A recent USGS study found that the smallest earthquake in the area has a hypocentral depth of 27.8 km, which is about a mile above sea level. Not only was the temblor the most powerful temblor to hit Humboldt County in decades, but it also shook the region’s water systems to a pulp.
The 6.4 temblor was followed by a number of small and large tremors in the same general vicinity. According to the local paper, there were no major injuries, but the temblor was the most notable of the several.
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